Next To Me
by GladiatorSwag
Summary: Still thinking.
1. Prologue

_You_

_Soft and only_

_You_

_Lost and lonely_

_You_

_Strange as angels_

_Dancing in the deepest oceans_

_Twisting in the water_

_You're just like a dream_

_-The Cure, Just Like Heaven_

* * *

**Prologue: Just Like Heaven**

He watched her from afar. Her hair, much shorter than it had been when they first met, blew in the wind. The white linen dress she wore made her look like an angel. His angel sent to rescue him, save him from a _mad world_. She didn't see herslef as such but she also didn't see herslef the way he saw her.**  
**

Her laughter, mixed in with the wind, blew over him, calming him even more, as she jumped before the waves could touch her feet. She made a game of it, stepping to the edge of the sand and then jumping back when the waves crashed onto the shore. She made his nervous doing it, but he wouldn't dare interrupt the fun she was having. Not when her laughter sounded like fine tuned music to his ears.

He walked out onto the beach, moving in her direction. The sand covered his bare toes. The sun was bright, too bright, even with his shades on but what more could he expect from Hawaii in July? He wore his white linen shirt open despite how odd it felt. She'd complained the night before about the tan on his chest not matching the tan on his legs and arms. What did she know about tans? Her brown skin only seemed to glow the more time they spent on the beach.

"Dada!" Almond shaped gray eyes peered at him from over her shoulder and then ducked down. The eyes appeared again, peeking to see if he was still coming. "Mama, down. Dada!"

He laughed as she sat the squirming toddler down on unstable feet. She held onto the toddler's hand as they walked to meet him halfway. Watching his family walk towards him was a beautiful sight. He had given up hope, long ago, of ever having a family and she'd given it back to him. She gave him unconditional love and a child to love unconditionally.

She gave him a son.

He bent down and scooped the little boy up in his arms, making him squeal with laughter. "You weren't next to me when I woke up." He said, standing up and kissing her softly.

"Our son wanted to see the water." She lovingly ran her hand over the boy's untamed curls that matched his father's. "I didn't want him to wake you. Nicolas, tell daddy what color the water is."

"Asu!" Nicolas said, proud of his mispronunciation. His ego was definitely inherited from his father.

"Livvie, you promised to teach him English before he learned Spanish."

"He's learning both. I taught Karson basic words before she turned two."

He smiled. "That's because Karson is a brainiac like you. He's barely a year old."

She stood on her toes, lifting his glasses and then her own. Since their son was in his arms, the kiss was quick and sweet. She let her lips linger on his as she spoke, "you're just upset because his Spanish is better than yours." She pulled back with a teasing smirk on her face.

"That's because my lessons always end without you wearing any clothes."

"Fitz!" It was his turn to smirk.

"Mama." Nicolas called his mother's attention to him, poking his lips out for a kiss too. She happily kissed his lips and both of his chubby cheeks.

"What time are we meeting everyone for dinner?"

"At seven. Robin and David should be back by then." She looked down at her watch. A gift from him on her last birthday. One of the many gifts he'd given her in a year's time.

"Remind me again why we have so many people joining us on our honeymoon."

"Because someone flew in and turned my peaceful girls' week into an impromptu wedding." She gave him a look that told him he still wasn't off the hook.

"Well maybe someone decided that he missed you and that it was time to make an honest woman out of you. Maybe living together and sharing a son was no longer enough from him anymore." He took her by her left hand and pulled her close. "Besides this shrink once encourage me to take risks because the outcome could surprise me."

"Sounds like solid advice." She commented, playing along with his game. "Hopefully you're still seeing her."

"Every single day for the rest of my life." He leaned in to kiss her but Nicolas' whining stopped him.

"Wa wa!" He pulled the collar of Fitz's shirt and pointed at the water. "Me go?"

"I think your son wants to play in the water."

"But I want to play-"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "Do not finish that sentence, Fitzgerald, and try not to tire him out too much before dinner so he won't be cranky." She kissed his uncovered mouth and then Nicolas. "I love you, Mr. Grant."

He smiled just thinking about how hard it had been to her to say those words, to admit her feelings for him. "I love you too, Mrs. Grant. Come on you little fish." He said, lifting Nicolas up in the air as she walked around them in the direction of their bungalow.

She stopped at the sliding door to look back at them. She valued the moments like that. Moments when everything was okay. Seeing their matching mischievous grins made the hell that they faced when they returned home, more than worth it.

* * *

**This is still the same Next To Me. I just wanted to add this before I repost the first two chapters. I think I have a better idea of what will happen in this story. Like I said before, it's going to be a great ride. **


	2. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

**_I am so happy that you all liked the Prologue. Before we can get to happy Olitz and little Nicolas, we have to go on a little journey!_**

* * *

_The first time ever I saw your face_  
_I thought the sun rose in your eyes_  
_And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave_  
_To the dark and the empty skies_

_-Leona Lewis, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face_

* * *

**Chapter 1: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face**

**_Three Years Earlier_**

He clawed at his tie. The satin fabric felt like it was choking the life out of him. People whispered as he passed them to get to the stairs. His family, if one could call them that, many of whom he had not seen in years showed up out of blue ready to grab any valuables they could get their greedy paws on. They were more like buzzards, circling the sky above a dying prey.

He stomped up the stairs pass his cousins who were fighting over something he could not be bothered to care about. He rolled his eyes when his Aunt Gretchen walked by him crying on the shoulder of some poor fool, her cries of what a great daughter she was echoed down the quiet hall. She was a great daughter alright, only coming to visit when she ran out of money or husbands.

He hated that he had to call any of them. If it had been up to him, his grandfather's body would have been cold and in the ground before they found out. He had never been able to deny his grandfather anything, including having his remaining family members around when he died.

At the age of ninety-three, Fitzgerald Grant Sr. had lived a full life. He found the love of his life at a young age but she had not lived to see their first grandchild be born. He out lived two out of three of his children. He started a company with $200 and dream, making it one of the biggest technology companies on the East Coast. He claimed his greatest success was his eldest grandson, his pride and joy Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, who he raised after his parents died in a car accident when he was seven. Fitz knew his grandfather loved him, but he would not consider himself a great success.

His life was a mess, both personal and professional.

Fitz paused outside the door of his grandfather's bedroom. He hoped for the best, for some kind of medical miracle, but mentally prepared for the worse. He'd spent the day in his office at Grant Technologies, gathering daily reports from each department. His grandfather would read the reports to him like some sort of bedtime story when he was child and now he returned the favor every night. Grant Tech was his grandfather's life. If anything could help him pull through, it was GT.

He crept into the room just as his grandfather's doctor was doing her routine check of the remaining IV. Its sole purpose was limiting the pain the elder man felt in his last days. There was something off. He noticed it instantly. His eyes zeroed in on the larger monitor that displayed his grandfather's heart rate. He wasn't a doctor but he knew the beginning of the end when he saw it.

"I was in a meeting. My phone was off." He explained, his words full of regret. He would have never forgiven himself if he had not been there.

"You made it just in time. He has had two strokes but he keeps holding on." The doctor looked up at him. "He was waiting for you."

"Is he in any pain?" She shook her head. "Give us the room and tell Carl not to let anyone in here until after it is over. He deserves to go out in peace."

He walked over and sat in the chair next to his grandfather's bed. He didn't react to the comforting hand on his shoulder. It offered him no peace. He could barely remember her name half of the time. She was just another Grant employee. When it was all said and done, she would collect her final check and move on.

"I'm here, grandfather. You can rest now. I'm here." He took a frail, cold hand in between both of his. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'll make sure everyone is taken care of just like you took care of me. I'll make sure the board appoints someone who is more than qualified to run GT." The machine beeped loudly. He looked up and saw the heart rate rising much like it did whenever they had that conversation in the past. "We have been over this. Running GT is not my dream. It is yours. I'll sink it faster than the titanic. I know it, the board knows it and deep down, old man, you know it too." Fitz sighed.

"I don't think I ever told you this, but thank you for all that you've done for me. It couldn't have been easy taking me in. I surely didn't make it easy on you. You don't like to hear this but I-" he paused, getting choked up. "I love you."

He laid his head on the edge of the bed. Within minutes he would be alone. Friends were hard to come by. He never knew if they were interested in getting to know him or the poster boy of Grant Tech. He was fortunate enough to find two people who could care less about his name or his money but they were, unfortunately, away on their honeymoon.

He remained by his grandfather's side until he took his last breath.

* * *

She drew never ending circles in the corner of her yellow legal pad. Boredom and a chill in her office forced her to stifle a yawn. It was considered rude to yawn when a patient was on the couch, no matter how much listening to the same problems day in and day out was draining her energy. It was her last patient of the day and the time was slowly dragging on.

She would nod occasionally, encouraging the woman to keep going. She had mastered the art of hearing without listening at an early age. When you are the oldest of three children, all of which are girls, it was a skill that could come in handy. According to her ex-boyfriend, it was also what led him to his secretary's bed, but you didn't see her paying someone $350 to cry on their couch for ninety minutes.

"I'm afraid our time is up, Mrs. Campbell." She tried to mask the relief in her voice as the timer went off.

Mrs. Campbell had been her patient for four years and during that time her husband had taken five mistresses and fathered three children. It would be unprofessional to tell her to just leave the lying, cheating son of a bitch. So three times a week, she listened to the woman pour her heart out, offering her the same professional advice each time.

"Dr. Pope, I just wanted inform you that this will be my last session." Mrs. Campbell smiled and for the first time since she became a patient, it did not look like she would break down at any second. She looked... at peace.

Normally, it was a good thing when her patients no longer needed her. It meant that she helped them reach the root of their issue and work through it. Dr. Olivia Pope was known for forcing her patients to face harsh realities in order to get better. It was why she came highly recommended.

Olivia would not given this news a second thought if it were any of her other patients. Mrs. Campbell had not made any progress and every time she did, her husband would come running back until he found someone else to sleep with. Her gut told her that something wasn't right with Mrs. Campbell wanting to cease her sessions.

"Have you decided to seek help somewhere else?" Her ego would be bruised but she would feel better knowing that the woman was still getting help.

"No, Dr. Pope, I would never cheat on you with another therapist." The icy tone she used had Olivia on high alert.

"Mrs. Campbell, if you don't mind me asking-" She was interrupted by her office phone ringing. She held up her index finger, signaling for her patient to hold on. "Olivia Po-"

"Why are you still at the office?" Her youngest sister whined before she could get her last name out. "The dress fitting starts in five minutes. It will take you nearly thirty to get here and that's if you can get a cab!" The whining continued.

Times like this was when she hated being the oldest. Her sisters expected her to drop everything and tend to their wants and needs. It had been that way since their parents divorced when she was sixteen, Leah was twelve, and Cayce, affectionately known as Baby, was only six. With Her mother temporarily checked out of life and her father off "finding himself," she took over the task of caring for her sister. Twenty years later, she was still doing it.

"Baby, I am with a patient. I will be there as soon as I can." She hung up without giving her sister a chance to reply. She knew the whining would just continue, making her later than she already was. "Mrs. Campbell, I am so sorry..." She turned around and saw that her office was empty.

She let out a frustrated sigh that sounded more like a tired scream. Between her patients, her nonexistent love life, Leah's inability to pick a career path and stay on it and Cayce's choice to trade law school for a wedding ring maybe she should be on someone's couch. Grabbing her coat and purse, she scribbled a note to remind herself to contact Mrs. Campbell first thing in the morning and then headed out into the cold December night.

* * *

Fitz woke up the next morning in his old bedroom with a pounding headache. He had not slept in that room since before he left for college. Posters of girls in bikinis selling beer hung on the wall. Old Sports Illustrated magazines and even a Rolling Stones CD littered the desk in the corner. A half empty bottle of tequila sat on the nightstand.

The source of his pounding headache.

"This room smells worse than it did when you lived here. Like feet and boy funk and sex."

He sat up quickly and regretted it immediately when the room started to spin. He blinked and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He focused on the figure sitting at the end of his bed. A lazy smile forming on his face.

"Tell me that you realized I was the best you ever had and no other man could compare to me." He said in a sleep hazed voice.

"Is that the way it happens in your dreams?"

"Always." He laughed. "Thanks for coming, Robin."

Robin Barrett had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. There wasn't a time when she was not by his side, knocking some sense into him. Literally. When he called her last night to deliver the devasting news, he'd told her not to cut her honeymoon short but of course she hadn't listened to a word he said.

"Grandfather was always kind to me. He practically paid for my medical school. David and I could not be anywhere else but here. We hate that we didn't get a chance to say goodbye." She rubbed her nose. "Seriously, Fitz, what is that god awful smell?"

The door to the connecting bathroom opened and out walked a leggy blonde wearing a wrinkled black dress, shoes in hand. She looked confusingly from Robin to Fitz. "Are you like his girlfriend or something? Because he said he didn't have one."

Robin gave Fitz a look. "That explains the sex smell." She turned back to the blonde, flashing her wedding ring. "I'm his wife and I am in a giving mood today so you should go."

Fitz chuckled has the blonde hastily gathered her coat and bag, mumbling about how the good one are always married. He mouthed "thank you" to Robin as the blonde, whose name he could not recall, left the room with a slam of the door.

"When is bedding blondes for sport going to get old, Fitz? Robin asked him seriously. "You are not the playboy that you like to think you are. You're too old for it. You are a good guy with a big heart. One day the right one will come along and she won't care about the size of your bank account." Robin picked up a pair of pants off the floor and tossed them at him. "You have to give a press conference at GT this afternoon and you smell of cheap perfume and top shelf liquor."

"The leeches still here?" He asked to Robin's back as he stood to put on his pants. "You can turn around now.

"They are your family, Fitzgerald. Like it or not."

He kissed her temple. "You're my family, Robin. The rest are just leeches ready to drain my grandfather's account dry."

* * *

Olivia swatted away the hand that touched her nose. She tried to roll over but there was a body on top of hers preventing that from happening. One by one, she opened her eyes and smiled up at the face just inches away for hers.

"Good morning, Miss Karson." She said tickling her niece's side.

Karson Arielle Pope was the light of her aunt's life. She had stolen her heart the first time she opened her inherited wide, brown eyes and four years later she still held it captive. She had the spitfire, no nonsense Olivia Pope attitude down to a tee. It was a running joke among the sisters that Karson acted so much like her because she drove Leah insane during her pregnancy.

"Morning." Karson squealed as she squirmed on top of her aunt. "I had waffles!" She announced, giving Olivia a sticky kiss.

"Karson! Karson, come on we're going to be late." Olivia could hear her sister running frantically through her two bedroom apartment.

"Are you hiding from mommy?" Karosn nodded and covered her mouth to conceal her giggles. "That's not nice. You're going to be late for school."

Karson's eyes watered and her lip quivered. "No school." She was definitely Leah's child.

"You have to go to school. How else are you going to be President?" Olivia sat up, hugging Karson to her. "She's in here, Leah!"

Seconds later, Leah walked in looking like she was on the verge of tears. Out of her two sisters, Leah was the dramatic one. "I told her not to disturb you." She said apologetically.

"It's fine. I can't start my day until I have a Karson kiss." She kissed the top of Karson's head and then placed her on her feet. "Have a good day at school. On the way home, I'll stop for browmies from that bakery we like." That earned Olivia a huge smile.

She rolled out of bed shorty after Leah and Karson left. It was her turn to pick up coffee and pastries for the office. She turned the news for background noise as she went to her closet to find something to wear.

_"Fitzgerald Grant Sr., creator and founder of Grant Technologies, died on yesterday evening at the age of ninety-three. Grant was surrounded by his family until his time of death. In another developing story, prominent Manhattan cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Adam Campbell and his wife, Jeanette, were found dead in their home this morning by a housekeeper. The NYPD..."_

Olivia turned off the TV after the news anchor said the words "murder-suicide," unable to hear anymore.

* * *

Fitz wasn't paying attention. His mind was pre-occupied. Robin was trying to talk him, to distract him from the fact that his aunt who was currently crying on national television and telling lies about how perfect her relationship with her father was. Her two moronic sons looked on from the background. One of which had on his grandfather's Rolex. He pulled out his phone to call someone to get them off of TV.

He did not see the woman entering the cafe as he was exiting until their bodies collided, knocking her phone out of her hand.

Olivia knew better than to text and walk. She scolded sisters about it all of the time. She wasn't paying attention. She hadn't been paying attention at all lately. If she had, maybe she could known that something was not right with Mrs. Campbell. She could have gone out of her way to help her patient and prevent the loss of two lives, but she was distracted.

So distracted that she did not see the man in front of her until they walked right into each other, sending her phone flying to the ground.

They both dove for the phone. Each apologized for not paying attention as both of their hands reached out for the device. Fitz got it first and examined it to make it wasn't cracked or broken.

"It looks fine to me." He held out the phone and looked at the stranger. Her face was hidden behind a curtain of black curls.

Olivia took the phone from his hand, examining it herself. "Thank you. My entire life is on this phone." She pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled for the first time since she heard the news on Mrs. Campbell.

They rose out the same time. His blue eyes never left her brown ones. They were blocking the only entrance/exit but either they did not seem to notice or did not care.

"Alright, lover boy, we have to go or you're going to late." Robin said, giving him a gentle nudge. "Either use your words or move along."

_Words. Right_. He should probably say to his beautiful stranger. "Have a nice day." That wasn't what he'd meant to say.

"You too." Olivia replied, stepping back out of the door so that they could exit.

Neither looked back but they both wanted to.


	3. Thinking About You

_Yesterday I saw the sun shinin'_  
_And the leaves were fallin' down softly_  
_My cold hands needed a warm, warm touch_  
_And I was thinkin' about you_

_-Norah Jones, Thinking About You_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Thinking About You**

Olivia sat in the middle of her bedroom floor, going over every note in her file on Mrs. Campbell. The digital audio recorded sessions played through her iHome speaker. She was trying to see if there was something that she missed, a hint that she did not pick up on, before she turned over her files to the authorities.

For three days, she began and ended her day the same way and she still could not find a single thing that would suggest Mrs. Campbell was going to harm herself or her husband. The word around the office was that Mr. Campbell recently started seeing another one of her patients, but she had no idea who the woman was or how they'd met. Everyone was whispering about it but they would stop whenever she walked into the room. Not even her nosy assistant could tell her and she knew all of the office gossip.

This was why she hated working at a practice full of women.

Her cell phone started to ring on her bed and she jumped up to answer it before it could disturb Karson, who was sleeping peacefully next to it. She still had fifteen minutes before Leah would come to wake her up for school and, like her mother, she liked to get every minute of her sleep.

She looked at her screen and laughed. I should have known that I would hear from you today. Did Mel call you?"

"Yes, she did and I called to offer you a job." The accented voice on the other call was smooth like velvet first thing in the morning. It was the kind of voice that a woman did not mind waking up to.

One drunken night, a lifetime ago, she'd almost been tempted by the Scottish charm. Almost. They both realized that they were better off as friends and were inseparable during their undergrad years.

"I lost a patient, Stephen." She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at the cluttered pile of unread notes on her floor. "I let myself be distracted and I lost one patient because her husband was sleeping with another."

"That's rough. Don't beat yourself up over this. You live and breathe your patients but you are also human. They can't all be a success story." Stephen sighed. "I really need your help, Liv."

"How bad is she?"

Stephen's wife, Georgia, was diagnosed with postpartum depression after giving birth to their daughter three months ago in London. He was able to get her help right away, but she kept getting worse. Olivia was trying to convince him to bring her back to the U.S. so that she could receive proper treatment and be closer to their families. He refused because Georgia was very vocal about not wanting to move again. It was the only thing she was vocal about those days.

"She still won't hold Lucy. Five doctors in three goddamn months and she still can't stand to hear Luce cry. I'm begging you, Olivia. She likes you. She trusts you. She needs you. Luce and I need you."

She never thought she would hear her friend sound so broken. He was always the strong one. The one who would push and encourage her. Aside from her cousin, Melanie, he was the only person in her life that did not always expect something from her. She wanted to say yes, to hop on a plane and go to him, but she could not just pack up and leave. She had to think about her sisters and Karson, her patients, and especially her elderly parents.

"When would you need me?" She heard his sigh of relief. "This is not me saying yes, Stephen. If I come, it will only be to convince her to come home. I won't stay longer than two weeks."

They both knew she would say yes and that she would stay as long as Georgia needed her. She had a hard time telling people no. It was a curse for her and gift for everyone else.

"Her mother is visiting next week so we'll talk after you get back from visitng Mel. You are still going, right? How is she by the way?"

"Didn't you talk to her?"

He grunted a response. "She called and told me that I should check on you and then hung up in my face."

"Can you blame her?" She waved Leah in as she peeked in the room. "Yeah, I'm still going. I need it now more than ever. I'll call you when I get back, Stehphen, and after I've worked out arrangements for my other patients."

"Hey Stephen," Leah leaned into the phone and yelled. She waited until Olivia disconnected the call to ask, "how is his wife?"

"Not good. I think I just agreed to go to London for two weeks." Leah pumped her fist in the air. "What was that for?"

"I told Baby that you would go the next time he called and asked you. She said that it would take an act of God to get you leave your office to go to London."

Olivia frowned. "I leave my office."

"To come home and work." Their eyes traveled down to the papers on the floor at the same time. "If it wasn't for me and Karson crowding your space, you would have like ten cats by now."

"Leah, you and Karson do not crowd my space and I hate cats." She joked to try and ease some of the concern she could see on her sister's face.

"Promise me that you'll have fun while you're away." Leah held up her hand when she tried to interrupt her. "You and Jake broke up months ago and you haven't been on date since. I am not saying that you have to go and fall in love but at least have fun. Let loose a little."

Olivia's thoughts traveled to the man she'd bumped into at the coffee shop. The man with the piercing blue eyes. They were the kind that she dive in and never resurface. She hadn't gotten a good look at his face but she couldn't forget those eyes. They didn't scream "fun." They were too intense, too demanding, to be "fun." Yet she kept going back to the coffee shop in search of those blue eyes.

* * *

Fitz sat behind the cherry wood desk in his grandfather's office at GT, flipping through the rolodex. His grandfather's ideas inspired technological innovations and the man still used a rolodex. The news of his grandfather's death travel faster than shipping a package through UPS thanks to the national news coverage and social media. There were still some people that he thought deserved to hear the news directly from him.

For three days, he started his day off by sitting in his grandfather's office and tried to imagine himself there permanently, running GT. He tried to imagine CEO next to his name. The office was on edge. People were wondering if they would still have a job after the holidays. The board was pushing him to make a decision. As he sat there, flipping through a rolodex full of people who had not called or checked on his grandfather since he took ill, Fitzgerald Sr.'s body was being cremated and the board wanted to know if he planned to take over the family business.

This was why he never wanted to take over the company to begin with.

The door opened and he half expected it to be Robin since she had not let him out of her sight. She was afraid that he would drink his self into oblivion. She worried too much about him. He knew his limitations. He just liked to push those limitations.

He glared at the man who was now seated across from him. "Cyrus, if you are here on behalf of the board, tell them they will know my decision when I do."

"I remember the first time I saw you sitting here. You had to be about eight or nine, playing quietly while Senior conducted an interview." He shook his head and smiled at Fitz. "The interviewer asked him what was the future of Grant Technologies and Senior looked over at you, pointed and said, 'that's the future of Grant Technologies.'"

Cyrus Beene was Fitzgerald Sr.'s closest confidants. Fitz wasn't exactly sure what Cyrus' job title was, but he knew that things got done whenever Cyrus was in the office. His grandfather trusted Cyrus with his life. Fitz would have admired him if the older man did not look at him like he was such a disappointment, a waste of potential.

"The only person who gave a damn about me, who believed in me, just died and all you people can think about is the future of this goddamn company!" With the swipe of a hand, Fitz cleared everything off of the desk. "The future of your precious company is safe no matter what I decide! You can tell everyone to stop walking around like the sky is falling because their jobs are safe!" He yelled loud enough for anyone outside of the closed door to hear.

"I do not come in here to pressure you to make a decision or to upset you, Fitz." Cyrus stood to his feet. "You have the best parts of your parents in you. You have your mother's passion and your father determination. You're smart, possibly smarter than Senior was at this age, but sometimes I don't think you see it."

"What would you do?" Fitz was breathing heavily. He could hear his pulse beating loudly in his ear. "If you were me, Cyrus, what would you do?"

"I would tell the board to wait. The company has been running just fine." He paused, sighing a little. "Get out of here. Go somewhere where there aren't any cameras in your face or family members with their hands held out. Get out of here, kid, and get your mind right. Go meet someone. That's what would have wanted. You can make your decision when you return." Cyrus tapped his knuckle on the desk and then left.

Fitz thought about the woman from the coffee shop. She had eyes the color of melted chocolate. A smile that was bright enough to lighten up the worse day of his life. He had been back to the coffee shop twice, hoping to run it her again. He told himself that if she just smiled at him again, if he could just feel that light again, that would be enough.

It sounded like a lie even to him.

He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Robin's number. It went straight to voicemail. "I'm leaving town for a couple of days. Before you go ballistic, I promise to call when I know where I am going. I love you, Robbie."

* * *

Olivia felt like she was walking into a high school girl's locker room when she stepped off of the elevator with the way people were staring at her. The reception area was filled with waiting patients, each with their own set of pressing problems. Some talk show played on the flat screen televisions mounted on the wall. The three women who owned the practice spared no expense when it came to the comfort of their patients.

She scanned the room for her 9:00 o'clock appointment and saw that he wasn't in yet which meant she had a few minutes to herself before her first session. She needed to figure out how she was going to go to London and treat Georgia when she had patients there that needed her as well. Her thoughts of taking a leave of absence were forgotten when she walked into her office and there was a woman sitting on the edge of her desk, reading files that come from her locked file cabinet.

"She asked me for the key." Olivia's mousy assistant appeared by her side out of nowhere. "I didn't know what else to do."

"You call me. You text me. You tell me there is an emergency and that I need to come in early. You do not unlock my confidential files for someone else to read." Olivia harshly whispered, shoving her purse in at the young woman, and then removed her gloves. She ran her hands over her winter white wool coat and took slow steps over to where the woman was perched on her desk.

"Catherine, is there something I can help you with?" She took the manila folder from the woman's hand and closed it. "If I had known you were coming to see me today, I would have been here sooner."

Catherine Bell was one of the three women that owned the practice but she was Olivia's least favorite. The two women had a hate-hate relationship that started when Olivia set Carherine straight after she questioned her medical degree in a quarterly meeting. It was politely suggested that they had as little contact as possible after that.

"Were you aware that Jessica Healy was having an affair with Adam Campbell?"

Olivia dropped the folder on her desk. "You've read Ms. Healy's file. You tell me." She stared the woman down. She'd dealt with plenty of women like Catherine in her lifetime. She didn't scare her.

"She told you that she was having an affair with a married man and you encouraged her to end the relationship."

"I encouraged to seek out a healthier relationship." Olivia corrected. "I was not aware of the identity of man or that he was the husband of another one of my patients. That would have been a breach of ethics on my part." She didn't know what Catheirne was fishing for but she didn't trust her.

Catherine stood to her full height. She was at least four inches taller than Olivia. "The Campbell family is looking for someone else to blame for the doctor's death. That someone happens to be you and this practice. There's talk of a civil suit."

"Why? The only person who is to blame here is Adam Campbell for not being able to keep his-"

"Dr. Pope!" Catherine said, shaking her head. "We're not liable and neither are you for his death but-"

"But? There is no but. I have a patient coming in ten minutes so spit out the real reason you are here or get out of my office." Her voice was low but icy cold. Anyone passing by the open door wouldn't know that she was three seconds away from telling off the brunette in front of her.

"We think it would be best if you take some time off until this blows over. We have contacted our lawyers and they think it is a good idea as well."

Thirty minutes later, she stood outside of the little coffee shop. She couldn't remember when she made the decision to walk there instead of taking a cab home. She should have been contacting her own lawyer and finding our her own options against a civil suit, especially since she'd told Catherine to go to hell before leaving. She didn't trust them not to sell her out to protect the practice. She had enough money saved to survive until she figured out what her next move would be.

Her hand touched the handle of the door but she stopped herself from opening it. She could go inside, look at every man with blue eyes until she felt the same rush she'd felt the other day, and then what? He could be married or have a girlfriend. Or be nothing more than a nice pair of eyes. What more could he offer her besides another look into his blue eyes?

Deciding that she had other priorities, Olivia dropped her hand from the door and handle, pulling her gray gloves out of her purse, and walked away.

* * *

Fitz stood fourth in line inside of the coffee shop. He tried to figure out what he was doing there. He'd had already more coffee that morning than he could handle and the coffee there wasn't even the best he ever had. The only reason he went to the coffee shop to begin with was because Robin made him. They served those fancy espressos that she liked so much at half of the Starbucks' prices.

He could fool himself into believing that the reason he'd left his office across town, passing up his apartment building, was for the friendly service, but he tried not to lie to himself. He was there for his stranger with the brown eyes and pretty smile. That was all he knew about her. Aside from the smooth brown skin of her hand, those features were the only things he had time to notice and now he searched for them like a helpless moron.

He smiled at women who ordinarily would not have held his attention for longer than a second, trying to feel the light of her smile again. Some smiled back, swooning where they stood, others looked at him like he was insane. None of the returning smiles were the one he was searching for.

His cell phone chirped in his coat pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that he had a new email and sighed heavily when he realized that it was from his grandfather's attorney. He wanted to know when would be a good time to schedule the reading of the will.

Reality hit hard as the line moved up. He would need to pick up his grandfather's ashes soon, make arrangements for a memorial service, and deal with his crazy family for the reading of a will he could care less about before he left town. Yet, in typical Fitz "The Playboy" Grant, as Robin called him, fashion he was worried about a woman. A woman he knew nothing about.

Stepping out of line, he exited the coffee shop, heading in the opposite direction.

They could walk away but thoughts of stranger from the little coffee shop still lingered in their minds as they traveled to their respective homes.


	4. The Prelude

**Chapter 3: The Prelude **

Maui was what Olivia needed. It had been so long since she felt relaxed that the feeling was almost foreign to her. There were no patients calling her at all hours of the day and night, needing her to talk them off of the ledge. Both literally and figuratively depending on how full the moon was. She wished that her sisters could have joined her. They had always talked about taking the trip together, but this trip was for her. She needed the time with her favorite cousin to clear her head. Time to reflect and figure out when she'd become the stranger in the mirror.

A week in paradise was just what the doctor ordered.

She opened the sliding glass door to the Ka'anapali bungalow that was theirs for the week, courtesy of Melanie's future father-in-law, and inhaled the Hawaiian air. There was a stone path that led pass the deck, where a patio table sat, to a private beach. Her goal was to soak up as much vitamin d as possible. The beach was shared only with the bungalow next door, but the Mel told her that it was empty for the week.

She was having good luck in the weather department. December in Hawaii could be rainy, but she had been there for a day and so far so good. The weather was warm enough for a maxi dress during the day and a light sweater over it at night. It was a pleasant change from the falling snow she'd left behind in New York. It would be hard to go from sunny Hawaii to an equally snowy London.

Somewhere between a slighty tipsy, very tearful conversation with her sisters and sitting in the airport waiting for her flight to be called, she decided to go to London. It wasn't like she had a office to return to when she went home at the end of the week. Stephan needed her and she needed to keep herself busy while her attorney looked into how serious the Campbell family was about a civil suit.

She checked her watch and saw that it was nearing lunchtime. Melanie would be driving in after work, from her apartment near her boyfriend's Marine base, in time from dinner but she would need to eat something to eat before then. She considered cooking again but what was the point of her being on vacation if she did the same things she could have done at home. It was time for her to get out. She could not spend her entire vacation hiding out. Fortunately for her, she'd listened to her gut and rented a small car, knowing that Mel would not be able to join her right away. She could have lunch at one of the many restaurants she'd seen on the drive from the airport and then do some sightseeing. If she hurried, she could beat the lunchtime rush.

Maybe it was the change of scenery or maybe it was the break from obsessing over Mrs. Campbell's suicide but Maui felt good. It felt like something amazing could happen at any moment. Like she was in the right place at the right time.

* * *

Fitz leaned his surf board against the wall next to the front door and threw his bags down. He walked further into his rented bungalow to find a flat surface to sit the urn containing his grandfather's ashes on. He was twelve the first time he visited Maui with grandfather because he wanted to learn how to surf. They'd stayed in that very same bungalow because it had a private beach located behind it. He could not imagine returning there without his grandfather.

Maui was the right choice. He could feel the stress easing just from inhaling the fruity scent of the tropical island. There were no decisions to be made. There were no contract to be signed or documents to read over. The board members had been told not to contact him for eight days. But his favorite part of it all was trading his stuffy business suits for his casual beach attire.

Eight day in paradise was just what he needed to get his head on straight.

He walked to the sliding glass doors and looked out at the waves. Mr. Akana, the older gentleman who owned the bungalow he was in and the one next door, prided his secluded beach for having the best surfing waves on that side of Ka'anapali. He could not wait to get out on the water and soak up some sun while the weather was still pleasantly warm. Mr. Akana informed him that there was someone staying next door. He would have to go over and introduce himself since they would be sharing a beach and he planned on spending a lot of the time out in the water. He found surfing calming and thrilling at the same time.

The waves and his neighbor for a week would have to wait until after he had lunch. He had not eaten since dinner last night. His flight was spent sending emails and arranging for his aunt and cousins, and whatever of other leeching family members were still in town waiting for the reading of the will, to be moved to a hotel so he didn't get to eat on the plane. There was a restaurant on the waterfront that served some of the best cheese burger he'd ever had. He made sure to check to see if it was still open before he left New York.

He paused next to the table where he'd placed the urn. The weight of the loss was still heavy and the loneliness still ached in his chest but Maui dull the ache. It was like something good could happen at any moment and he needed to be ready. He _was_ ready.

He stopped on his way to his rental car and watched as a compact car pulled out of the driveway. The windows were tinted but he could make out the head of a woman behind the wheel. He watched until the car disappeared unable to turn away for some reason. Maybe he would have to have introduce himself to his neighbor soon rather than later.


	5. Know Your Name

_Something in you _  
_Has got my attention girl _  
_So if I can _  
_Be a gentleman _  
_Can I ask your permission girl _  
_If it's alright with you _  
_Can I know your name _

_-Ne-Yo, Know Your Name_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Know Your Name**

Olivia didn't grow up in New York City. She wasn't a self-proclaimed city girl like her sisters. Unlike them, she'd enjoyed a quiet suburban lifestyle until her parents filed for divorce four months after her sixteenth birthday. Unlike Leah and Cayce, she was able to enjoy the thrill of cruising around in her first car. Driving became her escape when her parents' raised voices invaded her thin bedroom walls. She sought solace in it. Driving was her escape and miles away from the potential mess she left behind, with white sandy beaches and clear blue water serving as scenery, her shoulders lost the last of their tension.

After driving around for nearly thirty minutes, her straight black hair blowing uncontrollably in the wind, she parked in one of an Inn's ten designated free parking spaces. She exited her vehicle with plans to grab a quick bite to eat, do a little sightseeing, a little shopping, and make it back to the house before Melanie arrived. One hand smoothed her hair down and the other adjusted her black sunglasses.

She took a deep breath as she began walking in no particular direction. The aroma of food, something fried and possibly unhealthy, assaulted her senses. Her eyes scanned the area but it was her nose that led her to the restaurant attached to the right side of the Inn. The blue and white banner that hung on the front of the building that didn't seem to believe in walls, advertised they had the freshest seafood around. She came to a halt at the door, scanning the parking lot.

It felt like someone was watching her.

* * *

Fitz swore to himself that he was not some sort of stalker as he watched the woman in the charcoal grey strapless dress walk up to the door. He never had much of reason to "stalk" a woman. Women, young and old, had been throwing themselves at him since he hit puberty. One smile was all it took. Sometimes they took the thrill out of the chase away from him. They stole the all of the fun out of the game. He had years worth of pick up lines saved up that he had never gotten a chance to try on someone. Some were dorky and some were too corny to think let alone say.

The vision in grey made him want to use every one of them on her. He stood next to his black rental car, staring like an idiot as she glided to the door of the very same restaurant he was about to enter like she walked one clouds. He lifted his classic Ray Ban aviators to admire the way the dress fit her curves. The way her hair hung just past her shoulders, a few strands blowing in the wind. It swirled with her dress as she turned, briefly, to hit a button on her key ring.

He took a deep breath. The aroma of food filled his nostrils, reminding himself that he was there for food. He'd come for a burger, maybe even a drink or two, but not for the woman in the grey dress. He waited, giving her a little time to enter the restaurant. A little time for her to find the husband or boyfriend that had to be waiting for her inside. Time for him to remind himself that he'd sworn off of women.

Time for her to give his coffee house stranger a little competition in his head. It would be nice to stop dreaming about alluring brown eyes for awhile.

* * *

Olivia stood at the hostess stand, waiting to be seated. The restaurant was crawling with people. The wait staff ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off trying to service everyone. She would have left and found another restaurant, but she couldn't find the urge to move from the spot she was rooted in. The door opened behind her, causing the end of her long dress dress to blow. The air around her suddenly changed, becoming more electrically charged than it had been a second ago.

"Are you waiting to be seated?" A masculine voice asked from behind her.

She knew that voice. She'd heard it before but where? She was too far from home for a voice to sound so familiar to her. That didn't stop the heat that spread up her spine or the warmth on her cheeks. Confused by the way her body was reacting to a _voice, _she shook her head and answered, "Yeah. They're really busy."

Fitz felt the rush of adrenaline pass through his body at the sound of her voice. A sense of awareness followed it. He'd heard it before but he could not recall where or when off the top of his head. It was clear that she wasn't a local. He waited for her to turn around so that he could see if her face could jog his memory but she never did. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"Table for two?" The hostess, dressed in too short denim shorts and a black t-shirt with the restaurant's logo written on green letters across her chest, startled them both.

Fitz cursed her sudden appearance. He wanted to hear the stranger's voice again. He needed to hear it or it would drive him crazy. She could just sound like someone he knew, but he would never know if he didn't hear her speak again.

"No." Olivia said, shaking her head.

"We're not together." Fitz added.

"In that case I have two tables open on the patio. If you both would follow me…" She pulled two menus out of the bin on the side without giving either of them a chance to decide if they wanted to wait for something else to become available.

"Ladies first." Fitz said to the woman in grey. Her one word answer wasn't enough. He wanted to hear her speak again so that he could place the voice. He got the nagging feeling that he knew the woman standing in front of him. Or at least he wouldn't mind knowing more about her beside that she could fill out a form fitting dress quite nicely.

Olivia turned her head to the slightly to the side. It was just enough to glance at him after of the corner of her eyes which were still hidden behind her dark glasses. All she could make out was his white button down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and his navy blue chinos. It was unfair since she could feel his eyes glued to her. Deciding it would be too obvious if she turned more to see his face, she softly said, "thank you."

They followed the hostess out to the patio, keeping a safe distance between them. Neither spoke, but they both wanted to hear the other speak. They half paid attention to the fact that the hostess sat them at tables next to each other. Olivia on purposely sat in one of the four chairs that would allow her to look out at the beach and not at the man rudely staring at her. Fitz, on the other hand, chose the chair that would give him a clear view of the beach and the woman in the grey dress.

The hostess tried to give him a menu but he shook his head. "That won't be necessary. If you could send my waiter over, I already know what I want."

"You sound like a regular." Olivia said once the hostess left. She didn't know why she was talking to him. Possibly because she liked the rich baritone sound of his voice.

Fitz smirked. She was talking to him but she was still looking out at the beach. "The burgers are good here. Best you'll ever have. I swear to it." His smirk stretched into a small grin at the choice of his words.

Olivia shifted in her chair to face him. His grinning face made her forget what she was about to say. She counted to five in her head, trying to get her thoughts back. "You came all of the way to Hawaii, to a _seafood restaurant_, for a burger?" If she sounded like she was judging, it was because she was. Who does that?

"How do you know I don't live here?" Fitz countered, still grinning at her.

"You don't." She decided. Looking at him, she could see the skin left exposed by the top buttons of his shirt being undone. There wasn't the slightest hint of a tan on his arms either. There was no way someone would live in such a beautiful place and avoid the sun by staying indoors.

Fitz wished she wasn't still wearing her sunglasses so that he could see what she was thinking. "Where are you from?"

She turned her nose up at his question. "That's.., personal."

"It's personal to ask where you're from?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"It is when I don't know you." She replied and picked her to read.

Olivia took the time to exhale once her face was hidden behind the menu. She couldn't make out any of the words on the menu becasue all she could do was picture his smirking face on the glossy pages.

"Hi." She heard him say and knew the word would never sound the same again coming from someone else. His voice sounded closer. Too close.

She lowered the menu and saw him standing next to an empty chair at her table, pulling it out and taking a seat. "What are you doing?"

"I figured we could either continue our conversation with me _all_ of the way over there..."

"It wasn't that far."

"...Or we could free up a table for someone else."

She looked around the patio and saw that no on was paying them any attention. "You can't sit here."

"Why? Are you meeting someone?" He hopped that she would say no. There was something pulling him to her. It felt like strings had been attached to him and he had no choice but to allow them to tug him in her direction.

"If I say yes, will you go back to your table?"

"Probably not." He panicked when she saw her gathering her purse and sweater. "I swear I'm not crazy. I've felt like I have been going insane the past couple of days but I'm not crazy. I could use the company and you look like good company. So can I sit here?" Fitz could not explain it, but there was something pulling him to her that had nothing to do with him finding her attractive. He felt like strings had been attached to his body and he no choice but to allow them to pull him in her direction.

It wasn't the sincerity in his words that made Olivia sit her purse back down and try to relax in her seat again. It was the underline need behind his words. A need that she heard many time from patients during their first sessions with her. It called out to her. She wanted to help him and she had no idea who he was.

"You can sit here." She said with a touch of hesitation in her voice. "But I won't answer any personal questions." The warning look she gave him went hidden by the protective lenses of her glasses.

"I won't ask you anything that you could consider personal." He said with a shrug of his shoulder. Nothing he could ask her would be worth the risk of her getting up and walking away without him knowing her name. " He saw a waiter nearing their table. "You should try the burger."

* * *

"...So that is how we discovered that I am allergic to shellfish and any other type of fish for that matter." When Fitz finished his story, he noticed the corner of her lips turning up like she was struggling really hard not to laugh. "Go ahead and laugh at my misfortune."

No longer able to hold in the laughter she'd contained throughout his tale from the past, Olivia let her laughter flow. "I'm... sorry... but that is worse than my hives in third grade."

Fitz joined in her laughter. Of all of the things the could discuss, they were talking about food allergies and he'd probably learned more about her that she'd meant him to. He learned that she had two sisters, one of which shared her citric acid allergy, and niece who was allergic to pretty much everything on the planet. He could guess that she really loved her niece from the way she spoke of her.

Olivia noticed her phone buzzing against the bar next to her empty plate. She smiled to herself when she saw Melanie's picture on the screen. Holding up a finger to the stranger, who managed to keep her so entertained that she had not noticed how long they'd been sitting there, she answered the call.

"So yeah I'm here and you're not. The fuck is up with that?!" Obviously teaching small children had done nothing for her cousin's language.

"I'm sorry. I lost track of time. Do you want me to come back to the house or do you want meet me out?" Olivia asked, stealing a fry from her lunch companion's plate and nibbling on it. She'd opted for steamed vegetables with her baked fish since she wasn't much of a burger person but he had insisted that she at least try the fries. Now she couldn't stop stealing them.

Fitz smiled and pushed his plate closer to her so she wouldn't have to reach so far the next time she stole his food.

"I thought we could go to a Luau tonight…"

"A Luau sounds like it could be fun."

"Good because Elliot's brother invited us." The words left Melanie's mouth in a rush. She could imagine Melanie cringing as she awaited her response.

She frowned and shook her head. "I don't like Elliot's brother and I thought this week was for us?"

Fitz didn't know why but he didn't like the sound of that. Had he just spent hours being a seat filler for some other guy? Did she have a boyfriend waiting for her somewhere?

"...I told him we would stop by for a few hours. The kid is completely in love with you."

"'Kid' being the keyword. Why? Why would you do that?" Olivia whined in a way that she only could to Melanie, causing the man next to her to snicker.

Fitz tried to disguise his laughter by taking a swig of his drink. Her whine had to the cutest sound he ever heard. It made up for the fact that she was possibly on the phone with another guy.

"Because you need to have fun. End of discussion. Get your ass back here so we can find you something to wear that doesn't look like you're headed to court or a funeral." The line went dead and Olivia wanted to drop her phone in her untouched glass of water.

"You have to go." He said, trying to hide his disappointment. He looked at the clock on the wall near the door. He'd had dates that lasted shorter than the amount of time he'd been talking to the woman next to him and he still did not know her name.

She flagged over the waiter over, pulling her wallet from her purse. "I don't mean to be rude but I have to go." She confirmed and she sounded just as disappointed about it. _Jeez! _She didn't even know his name.

"Can I pay for your lunch?" He asked. She'd spent two hours talking to him about absolutely nothing when she clearly had someone else waiting for her. They had been the best two hours of his life. She made him forget about everything, including his coffee shop stranger. The least he could do was pay for her food.

Olivia hesitated. No random stranger had ever offered to buy her lunch before. Those things just didn't happen where she was from. Living in New York, she was lucky if someone apologized for nearly knocking her over on the sidewalk instead of yelling at her like it was her fault. She was touched by his generosity but she still had to decline his offer.

"Thank but you don't have to do that." She took her debit card from her wallet and gave it to the bartender. She looked over at the stranger next to her. He'd completely eclipsed her little coffee shop stranger.

"Here you go, Miss." The waiter handed her back her card after swiping it on a handheld device. "Are you leaving as well, sir?"

Olivia used the time it took for him to pull his wallet out of his back pocket and search for a card, to drop her cell phone in the front pocket on her purse and then rise from the table. "It was...nice meeting you. Enjoy the rest of your vacation."

"Wait." He said to her before she could out of his life forever. "You wouldn't let me buy you lunch so can I at least know your name?"

She thought about it. What harm could come in telling a man that she would never see again her name? A man that she'd spent hours discussing nothing of importance with. A man who'd made her laugh so hard that her side hurt. She could tell him her name and find out his, but what would be the fun in that?

"No." She said, lifting the glasses that had remained on her face up until then. And then she smiled.

Fitz felt his breath leave his body. The voice. Those eyes. That smile. He knew them all. He knew her. She was his coffee shop stranger. Before he could have the chance to tell her that he was the man who saved her phone after knocking it out of her hand, she disappeared into the last of the lunchtime rush.


	6. Get To Know Ya

_I know that you'll never see me_  
_I know that _  
_I'm not your style _  
_I know that _  
_You don't need me _  
_But you do_  
_You drive my dreams wild _  
_Lady I got to know ya_

_-Maxwell, Get To Know Ya_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Get To Know Ya**

There were certain things that Fitz grew up never believing in like finding a penny could bring someone good luck or stepping on a crack would break someone's mother's back. He did not believe in karma. He did not believe that the universe had the right to punish someone for their wrong doings. He chose to believe that bad things sometimes happened to good people. It was the way of the world.

He had never believed in fate either until he sitting in the middle of a crowded patio, watching an amazing woman walk away for him. He never thought he would see her again, but there she was, 4,916 miles away from the place they called home. Out of all the places in the worlds they could have gone to escape the harsh December weather in New York, they both ended up in Maui at the same time, in the same restaurant. It had to be fate. That was the only way he could describe it. Fate had dropped her right in front of him and he wasn't going to just let her walk away.

He took his credit card and receipt from the water and scribbled a tip and his signature on it before bolting up from the table and almost running into the restaurant. He needed to catch up with her. On his last trip to the coffee shop, he'd told himself to forget about her. A task that was now more impossible than it had been hours ago. He knew what her laugh sounded like and how her hair shined when the sun caught it just the right way but those were just minor things. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know her.

At the very least, he would put a name to the angelic face.

He pushed through the door, ignoring the cheerful hostess who told him to come back and see them again. He stopped on the sidewalk, nearly making two slightly tipsy women bump into him from behind. They giggled and whistled but he ignored them. His eyes searched for her grey dress. He wanted to kick himself for not seeing what type of car she'd gotten out of.

He was considering walking the parking lot when he felt a hand on his back. He turned around and his face fell when he saw that it just a waitress from the restaurant.

"You forgot your phone." She held out his black cell phone to him which happened to be ringing.

"Thanks." He mumbled, looking down on the screen to see Robin's office number. He thought about sending her straight to voicemail, but he knew his best friend. She would continue to call until he answered. "What?"

"Well hello to you too, Mr. Wonderful." Robin responded sarcastically. "When someone runs off, to God only knows where, the least he could do is call his best friend to say that he arrived to his destination safely."

"Shit. I'm sorry, Rob. I forgot." His eyes still scanned the parking lot as he switched the phone from one side to the other. "Can I call you back? I'm in the middle of something."

"No, you cannot call me back and why do you sound so agitated?" She gasped. "Fitzgerald Grant! Are you with a woman? Did you leave me to look after the Wicked Witch of the West and Dumb and Dumber so you could whisk some woman away for a week?" She hissed loudly in his ear.

He groaned, taking the phone away from his ear. "I am not with a woman, Robin. I-I'm looking for something." He gave the parking lot one final scan and pulled out the key to his rental car.

She was gone.

"Well I hope you find whatever it is that you are looking for." Her voice softened. "And try to find some happiness while you're away."

"I'm trying."

After promising to call Robin back later, he ended the call with a new determination. He was going to find her. He remembered her saying something about a Luau when she was on the phone. He knew if he could find the Luau, he would find her.

If a chase was what she wanted, a chase was what she would get. He just hoped she was prepared when he caught her. And he would catch her.

* * *

Olivia had been a nervous ball of energy since she walked away from the table. She almost walked back inside the restaurant twice but she forced her feet to keep moving towards the car. After fumbling with her car keys for what felt like five minutes, she'd sat inside of the car to collect her thoughts.

Even as she slowly pulled out of her parking space, she yearned to go back inside of the restaurant. She didn't want to tell him her name nor did she care to know his. By the end of their lunch, she'd realized that she needed his company just as much as he needed hers. She wanted more time to talk to him but it was too late.

She had to leave.

The front door to the bungalow swung open before Olivia could get out of the car. Melanie ran outside in red Hollister shorts with a matching red and black tank top, showing off as much of her caramel sun kissed kiss skin as she possibly could. Her hazel eyes twinkled as she embraced her favorite cousin, nearly causing the both to fall to the ground.

"Six months is too long to go without seeing you." She cried, her tears wetting Olivia's shoulder, as she squeezed her tight enough to cut off her air supply. "I've missed you so much, Liv."

Olivia's own eyes filled with tears. "I've missed you too, Mel. Nothing has been the same without you."

Olivia had never questioned her cousin's choice to pick up and leave all that she knew behind to move to Hawaii. She'd left her job at one of the biggest advertising firms in the country, her friends, and her family to teach the first grade in paradise. Many said she running away and maybe she was, but Olivia admired the courage it took to do it. If she hadn't, she would have never met Elliot.

"Come on." Mel said, stepping out of their hug but grabbing Olivia's hand. "You can catch me up on everything I've missed while I finish unpacking. How is Miss Karson?"

Olivia allowed herself to be pulled up the steps, through the the front door, and into the first bedroom door on the left before she answered. "She hates school, loves music, and she won't eat anything that doesn't have sugar in it. There is no question that she is Leah's daughter."

"Good! She's going to pay Leah back for all of the hell that she caused you." Melanie shook her head. "Do you remember when she tried to sell Baby for money to buy 'NSYNC tickets? I thought the vein in Uncle Ray's forehead was going to pop when he found out."

Olivia pushed Melanie's suitcase to the side so that she could sit on the bed. "That is the price to may when you have three daughters. There's never a dull moment."

"You three didn't make it easy on him. Where's the donor?"

"He hasn't been around since Karson's second birthday. The only good thing is that she doesn't know him to miss him." Olivia said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Where's Elliot?"

"On base. He'll be here tonight and then he has to go back tomorrow. He's excited about seeing you again. So is Elijah."

Olivia groaned and hung her head. "Don't remind me. What time does this thing start?"

"At sunset which gives us enough time to do something with your hair." Mel tried to touch Olivia's wind tossed hair only to have her hand swatted away. "The dress isn't bad. Kind of sexy but you'll have to show a little more skin than that if we're going to find your Prince Charming."

"I don't believe in fairy tales or in Prince Charming."

As Olivia said the words, she thought about her lunch companion. An involuntary smile came to her face when she recalled the short time they spent together. He had all of the makings of being someone's Prince Charming. He was kind and funny. It didn't hurt that he wasn't bad on the eyes even with his sunglasses keeping her from seeing his eyes. She wanted to kick herself for not telling him her name but it wasn't like they would ever see each other again.

Melanie stopped going through her suitcase to look at her cousin, _really_ look at her. She was lost in space. There was something goofy yet secret about the smile on her face. When Olivia called her to say that she'd quit her job, she'd expected to find a shell of the woman ambitious woman that she knew and loved but that wasn't what she saw sitting in front of her.

"You will one day." Mel said, drawing Olivia's attention back to her. "Your happily ever after is out there. You just need to open yourself up to it."

* * *

Olivia sat in a wicker chair at one of the three tiki bars located on the secluded area of a beach where the Luau was being held. Men and woman in grass skirts with colorful floral lies around their necks, wrists, and ankles, performed dances to authentic Luau music. Tables of endless amounts of traditional Luau foods were available to all guest in a attendance. She had to give it to Elijah, Elliot's younger brother. He and his friends really knew how to throw a party.

She used her straw to spear a pineapple cube from the bottom of her plastic Hurricane glass, taking a bit out of it. With a quiet sigh, she rested her head on her hands and watched Melanie and Elliot dance on the makeshift dance floor. Elliot whispered something in Melanie's ear that caused her to throw her head back and laugh. She picked up her drink and downed the remaining contents of her glass. She watched them, how they smiled and gazed at each other, their bodies moving together.

It was hard to fight if the familiar pang of jealousy as she watched them and the other couples on the dance floor so she turned her head away.

"Come on Prince Charming," she murmured to herself, deciding to blame the words on the two tropical drinks she'd had so far. "Where are you?"

"Did I hear someone say my name?"

Olivia groaned softly. She should have known she couldn't avoid him forever. She felt a hand on her back and turned around, immediately removing it, "No, Elijah, you didn't. Don't touch me."

He grinned at her, that almost lopsided smile that she'd found adorable when she first met him. That was until he opened his seventeen year old mouth and told her that he could rock her world. Now his grin made her cringe. 'Aren't we cranky this evening? At least let me buy you a drink.'

"I don't drink out of juice boxes anymore." Olivia said, lifting her glass for him to see. "So thanks but no thank you."

"When are you going to let the age thing go, Liv?" He leaned towards her, whispering in her ear, "Being with an older woman doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother you."

She balled her hand into a fist, wondering how much trouble she would be in for knocking a smug seventeen year old in his ass in front of all of his little friends. Not wanting to cause a scene, she discretely pushed his head away from her.

"Elijah, if you want to be able to see out of both of your eyes in the morning, you will get away from me. How many time do I have to tell you that I am not interested in going to prison before you get it through your thick skull? You are a child. There is nothing I can do with you."

Elijah looked hurt but he recovered quickly, taking her hand, "I can think of a few things that we can do together, baby. We would be so good together..." He kissed her hand, running his tongue along one of her fingers. He ignored the digested look on Olivia's face.

She ripped her hand out of his grip, wiping it with a napkin. She took his left ear in her hand and pulled his down until his face touched the bar. She twisted it until he tapped on the bar and begged her to stop.

"I tolerate you because your brother is marrying into my family." She twisted it a little more. "But if you ever touch me again, you won't live to see your high school graduation. I will make sure your body is never found. Are we clear?"

"Yes." He whimpered. "Let go!"

"Good." She released his ear. "I don't want to have this conversation with you again."

She hopped out of her seat, making sure that the short black and white ruffled skirt Mel forced her to wear, was pulled down. She drawn the line at the black tank top and settled for a simple black shirt that didn't show off as much of her skin as the skirt did. She was a modest dress whereas her sisters and her cousin thought she needed to show more skin.

Elijah looked her up and down, smiling to himself. He let out a low whistle. "You're going to want me one day."

"Never going to happen." She told him and then stalked off in the direction that could get her the furtherest away from him.

She stopped at the edge of the dance floor and onto it again. Melanie and Elliot were holding each other up as their tongues did the dancing for them. They'd started out as a fling. No one saw it lasting longer than three months. Melanie was too much of a free spirt to be a Marine's wife but neither showed any sign of slowing down. Elliot would have to ship out soon, something she knew they were both dreading. She worried about how her cousin would survive in his absence..

They were sweet together. She felt guilty for envying what they had.

"Would you like to dance?" She heard a smooth, low voice ask her from behind.

Her first instinct said no, but she bit it back. She knew that voice. It was the voice that belonged to _him_. She felt a shot of electricity shoot through her as she turned and saw him. He was wearing black pants and a casual green shirt with the top few buttons undone, the sleeves rolled up, his hair slicked back. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses but the light from the burning torches still wasn't bright enough for her to make out the color of his eyes.

The lack of proper lighting did not stop his eyes from holding her in place. His dark gaze made her want him more than air. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from throwing herself at him. She would blame that on the alcohol as well.

It had taken Fitz majority of the afternoon to find the Luau. It was an invite only kind of event. Luckily for him, he just happened to be renting a house from the father of the young man throwing it. He was thanking fate again.

He'd searched for her as soon as he arrived but the setting sun and made it hard for him to find her right away. A couple of women had approached him offering a dance, but he'd politely refused them. He only had eyes for one woman and he was searching for her without still really knowing what she looked like.

He was moments away from giving up and then he saw her. She was sitting at the bar, talking to some thick neck neanderthal but the conversation didn't look pleasant. He was about to step in and make his presence known but she'd handled the guy herself before he could. It was amusing to watch.

He'd watched her walk away, sauntering her way across the room, where she stood alone, watching the dancers. He could make out the sad, distant look on her face even in the darkness. From his place in the shadows he'd watched her, seen every move she made, appreciated the way her hips tilted slightly as she placed her weight on one foot.

It had taken a little liquid courage to finally approach her after watching her bring a guy three times her size down.

"Yes." Was her breathless response. She wasn't quite sure that he was real. What were the chances that she'd run into the same person twice in one day on a island of that size?

Fitz, sensing her hesitation, held out his hand to her, a friendly smile playing on his lips. "Just one dance. I won't bite."

Olivia smiled in return. "One dance." She said, placing her hand in his.

It hit them at the same time. A jolt of desire ripped through them from his hand to hers. It felt strong and determined, leaving them both trying to catch their breath.

She followed him silently to the dance floor, blushing slightly as her eyes took him in. She lowered her eyes, biting her lip again to keep from laughing at herself. She felt his eyes on her and looked him to meet his ins tense gaze. She loved how his smile broadened when their eyes met. She wondered if every woman he looked at felt like they were the only thing in the world that mattered. She hoped not. She hoped it was only for her.

They danced together, never once looking away from the other. A fast beat was soon replaced with a slower, sexier tempo that drew them together. Fitz hoped she couldn't feel his heat racing controllably in his chest. Olivia hoped he didn't hear her labored breath as he gazed at her.

Olivia felt her body come alive as his fingers brushed her skin, his hand resting on her hip. He pulled her closer, so they were barely apart yet barely touching. She ran her hand up his arm, smiling to herself as she felt him shudder slightly and then rested it on his shoulder. Her fingertips rubbed small circles softly against the material of his shirt.

They watched each other intently, never breaking away as they moved slowly to the beat. They moved even closer together like magnets. She licked her dry lips unconsciously, parting them slightly. He couldn't not look at them. He watched her lips, wet and inviting. They teased him. He counted backwards from 20 in his head to keep himself from kissing her.

They continued their dance, moving just enough to drive the other insane, softly grinding their hips together to make their point. She nearly cried out in agony as his hand crept around her back, placing his flat hand on her back and moving it lower until two of his fingers disappeared under her the band of her skirt. She took a quick breath when she felt his hand finally close the space between them so that their bodies were forced together. She ran her own hand over his shoulder to his neck, disappearing below his collar, caressing the back of his neck, her fingers getting lost in his thick hair.

"What's your name?" He asked with his lips right at her ear. "I have to know."

She leaned in slowly to his neck at first simply resting her lips against his throat, but the sound of his low moan made her kiss him. Softly, tentatively at first, almost afraid. Then she felt him place her other hand on his chest and put his now free hand on the back of her neck, stroking it's length down to the top of her shirt, his fingers feathering her skin.

She smiled to herself, kissing up to his ear, hot burning kisses before whispering to him, "Liv."

"You're not going to tell me your real name, are you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it."

His smile hypnotized her so she didn't notice him lower his head towards her until their lips met in a hungry kiss. He wasn't his intention to kiss her. He knew that neither of them were ready for him to make that move yet but her lips was calling out to him. He had to answer.

His tongue swept through her mouth, making her arch her body closer to his. Her hand ran over his chest and up to his neck, tangling itself in his hair in case he tried to pull away. He tilted her head further, trying to taste more of her, consume her. She tasted so sweet as her soft tongue roamed his mouth. It all sent sensations through him that he'd never felt before. He didn't know it was possible to want someone as bad as he wanted her. One of his hands dropped, wrapping an arm around her small waist, imprisoning her to him. He cradled her body to his and she fit perfectly there.

Olivia was overwhelmed by him. She'd never felt so much in one kiss. But it was more than simple a kiss. It ate at her, demanded more of her than anything she'd experienced. She body melted against him, depending on him for support. She gave in to him, letting herself be swept away by his lips, his touch. He tasted so good but smelt even better. She felt his hand on her back, rubbing slightly as he almost gripped at her.

Finally, they broke apart, completely breathless and watching each other intently. Their lips were swollen. Olivia had to touch her lips to try and soothe the burning.

"Wow." Olivia whispered, not realizing it had been loud enough for him to hear. She blushed, not knowing if it was because he had heard her or because she'd just made out with a complete strange like she was still in college. "Who are you?"

He grinned at her, leaning down to kiss her gently this time, "Fitz." He took her chin in his hand, tilting her head back up to meet his heated gazed. "It's getting late."

It was her turn to grin as she leaned in to him again, whispering in his ear, "I'm not leaving here with you. I don't know you."

He knew that wasn't the right time to tell her that they'd met before. "You kissed me like you know me."

"Don't make me regret it."

"Don't make me beg. I just want to get to know you." He pressed his lips to hers firmly. "I won't try anything. You have my word so say yes."

Olivia's eyes searched for Melanie and Elliot but she couldn't find them. Instead, she locked eyes with Elijah who blew her kiss. "Yes."

* * *

**I hope everyone is enjoying Next To Me so far. Thank you for reading and thank you for reviews. Xoxo -Lauren**


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